The authorities say 7,000 people live here but charities put the number closer to 10,000Reuters

France began clearing the sprawling "Jungle" migrant camp on Monday as hundreds gave up on their dreams of reaching Britain, a tantalizingly short sea crossing away.

Following sporadic outbreaks of unrest overnight, the migrants chose instead with calm resignation to be relocated in France while their asylum requests are considered.

By lunchtime more than 700 had left the squalid shanty-town outside Calais on France's northern coast for reception centers across the country. Hundreds more queued outside a hangar, waiting to be processed before the bulldozers move in.

French officials celebrated the peaceful start to yet another attempt to dismantle the camp, which has become a symbol of Europe's failure to respond to the migration crisis as member states squabble over who should take in those fleeing war and poverty.

But some aid workers warned that the trouble overnight, when some migrants burned toilet blocks and threw stones at riot police in protest at the camp's closure, indicated tensions could escalate.

Looking for The Clash: Almost two-thirds of those surveyed in the camp have said they do not want to be evicted and taken to French accommodation, while one-third say they will continue to try to get to the UKReuters

Many of the migrants are from countries such as Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea and had wanted to reach Britain, which is connected to France by a rail tunnel and visible from Calais on a clear day. Some had wished to join up with relatives already there and most had planned to seek work, believing that jobs are more plentiful than in France.

French police stand near as migrants with their belongings queue at the start of their evacuation and transfer to reception centers in France, and the dismantlement of the camp called the "Jungle" in CalaisReuters

Many of the migrants are from countries such as Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea and had wanted to reach Britain, which is connected to France by a rail tunnel and visible from Calais on a clear day. Some had wished to join up with relatives already there and most had planned to seek work, believing that jobs are more plentiful than in France.

The far-right National Front party said the government plan would create mini-Calais camps across France.Reuters

Others warned that many migrants who remained determined to reach Britain would simply scatter into the surrounding countryside, only to regroup in Calais at a later date.

There are fears that anarchists will stoke the atmosphere if French police are deemed to be heavy-handed.Reuters

An additional 3,000 police are expected in and around Calais this week to assist with the process of clearing the camp and to attempt to ensure that migrants who do not want to claim asylum do not flee and/or set up new, smaller camps.